Patentable/Patents/US-11496243
US-11496243

Techniques for masking and unmasking cyclic redundancy check bits for early termination of decoding

PublishedNovember 8, 2022
Assigneenot available in USPTO data we have
Inventorsnot available in USPTO data we have
Technical Abstract

Various aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to wireless communication. In some aspects, a receiving node may determine a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) based at least in part on log-likelihood ratios (LLRs) associated with downlink control information (DCI) received from a transmitting node. The receiving node may perform a full unmasking of the CRC using a radio network temporary identifier (RNTI) based at least in part on a descrambling of the CRC with the RNTI, wherein a number of bits associated with the RNTI is associated with a number of bits associated with the CRC. The receiving node may initiate an early termination of a decoding of the LLRs based at least in part on the full unmasking of the CRC. Numerous other aspects are described.

Patent Claims
24 claims

Legal claims defining the scope of protection. Each claim is shown in both the original legal language and a plain English translation.

Claim 2

Original Legal Text

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the CRC is an α-bit CRC, and the number of bits associated with the RNTI is β bits, where α is equal to β.

Plain English translation pending...
Claim 4

Original Legal Text

4. The method of claim 3, wherein a most significant number of bits is taken from the initial RNTI and a number of zeros is padded to the most significant number of bits to produce the RNTI.

Plain English translation pending...
Claim 5

Original Legal Text

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the most significant number of bits taken from the initial RNTI is μ bits, and the number of zeros padded to a resulting μ-bit value is β1 zeros to produce the RNTI including α bits, where μ+β1=α.

Plain English translation pending...
Claim 6

Original Legal Text

6. The method of claim 1, wherein initiating the early termination of the decoding of the LLRs is based at least in part on an occurrence of a first RNTI-unmasked CRC bit, and wherein an occurrence of a first non-RNTI unmasked CRC bit does not permit the early termination of the decoding of the LLRs until the occurrence of the first RNTI-unmasked CRC bit.

Plain English translation pending...
Claim 7

Original Legal Text

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first RNTI-unmasked CRC bit occurs prior to non-RNTI unmasked CRC bits based at least in part on the full unmasking of the CRC.

Plain English Translation

This invention relates to wireless communication systems, specifically to methods for processing cyclic redundancy check (CRC) bits in downlink control information (DCI) transmissions. The problem addressed is the efficient and reliable detection of DCI messages in scenarios where multiple user equipment (UE) devices share the same control channel resources. The solution involves a specific ordering of CRC bits in the DCI payload to improve decoding performance and reduce errors. The method involves transmitting DCI with a CRC that includes both RNTI-unmasked and non-RNTI-unmasked bits. The key innovation is that the first RNTI-unmasked CRC bit is positioned before any non-RNTI-unmasked CRC bits in the sequence. This ordering is based on the full unmasking of the CRC, meaning all RNTI-unmasked bits are processed before the remaining bits. The approach ensures that critical identification information (RNTI-unmasked bits) is prioritized during decoding, enhancing the likelihood of correct DCI detection even in challenging signal conditions. The method is particularly useful in 5G and beyond networks where control channel efficiency and reliability are paramount. The technique may be applied in base stations (gNBs) or other network nodes responsible for DCI transmission.

Claim 8

Original Legal Text

8. The method of claim 1, wherein initiating the early termination of the decoding of the LLRs is based at least in part on the DCI not being associated with the receiving node.

Plain English translation pending...
Claim 9

Original Legal Text

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the RNTI is associated with the number of bits associated with the CRC for a purpose of RNTI unmasking of the CRC for a downlink control channel processing, and an initial RNTI is associated with a number of bits that is less than the number of bits associated with the CRC for non-CRC unmasking purposes.

Plain English translation pending...
Claim 10

Original Legal Text

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the early termination of the decoding based at least in part on the full unmasking of the CRC reduces a number of decoding cycles, wherein the number of decoding cycles is based at least in part on a rate match size, a code block size, a payload size, and a rate match mode.

Plain English Translation

This invention relates to error detection and decoding in communication systems, specifically improving efficiency in decoding processes by early termination based on cyclic redundancy check (CRC) unmasking. The problem addressed is the computational overhead in decoding processes, particularly in systems where decoding cycles are determined by factors such as rate match size, code block size, payload size, and rate match mode. Traditional decoding methods often continue processing even after sufficient error detection is possible, leading to unnecessary computational effort. The invention describes a method for optimizing decoding by terminating the process early when the CRC is fully unmasked. This early termination reduces the number of decoding cycles required, improving efficiency. The number of cycles saved depends on system parameters like rate match size, code block size, payload size, and the rate match mode used. By leveraging CRC unmasking as a trigger for early termination, the method ensures that decoding stops as soon as error detection is confirmed, avoiding redundant processing steps. This approach is particularly beneficial in high-throughput systems where minimizing decoding latency is critical. The method can be applied in various communication protocols where CRC-based error detection is employed, such as in wireless communication standards. The invention enhances system performance by reducing power consumption and processing time while maintaining reliability.

Claim 11

Original Legal Text

11. The method of claim 1, wherein a CRC computation, an RNTI unmasking, and a CRC check are performed on-the-fly along with the decoding of the LLRs to reduce decoding cycles as compared to performing the CRC computation, the RNTI unmasking, and the CRC check after the decoding.

Plain English translation pending...
Claim 12

Original Legal Text

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the decoding of the LLRs and corresponding hard decision bits is performed serially or progressively using one of turbo decoding, low-density parity-check decoding, or polar decoding.

Plain English translation pending...
Claim 14

Original Legal Text

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the CRC is an α-bit CRC, the number of bits associated with the RNTI is β1 bits, and the least significant number of bits associated with the CRC is β1 least significant bits of the α-bit CRC.

Plain English translation pending...
Claim 15

Original Legal Text

15. The method of claim 13, wherein initiating the early termination of the decoding of the LLRs is based at least in part on an occurrence of a first RNTI-unmasked CRC bit, and wherein an occurrence of a first non-RNTI unmasked CRC bit does not permit the early termination of the decoding of the LLRs until the occurrence of the first RNTI-unmasked CRC bit.

Plain English translation pending...
Claim 16

Original Legal Text

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first RNTI-unmasked CRC bit occurs prior to the first non-RNTI unmasked CRC bits based at least in part on the partial unmasking of the CRC using the least significant number of bits associated with the CRC.

Plain English Translation

This invention relates to wireless communication systems, specifically improving error detection in control signaling by partially unmasking a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) using a radio network temporary identifier (RNTI). The problem addressed is ensuring reliable detection of control information while reducing computational overhead in decoding processes. The method involves transmitting a control message with a CRC that is partially unmasked using an RNTI. The partial unmasking is performed by applying the RNTI to only the least significant bits of the CRC, leaving the remaining bits unmasked. This partial masking allows for early detection of errors in the control message before fully decoding the entire payload. The first RNTI-unmasked CRC bit appears before the first non-RNTI-unmasked CRC bits, enabling faster error identification. The technique is particularly useful in scenarios where quick validation of control information is critical, such as in downlink control channels. By selectively unmasking only a portion of the CRC, the method balances error detection efficiency with processing complexity, improving overall system performance.

Claim 17

Original Legal Text

17. The method of claim 13, wherein initiating the early termination of the decoding of the LLRs is based at least in part on the DCI not being associated with the receiving node.

Plain English translation pending...
Claim 18

Original Legal Text

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the early termination of the decoding based at least in part on the partial unmasking of the CRC reduces a number of decoding cycles, wherein the number of decoding cycles is based at least in part on a rate match size, a code block size, a payload size, and a rate match mode.

Plain English translation pending...
Claim 19

Original Legal Text

19. The method of claim 13, wherein a CRC computation, an RNTI unmasking, and a CRC check are performed on-the-fly along with the decoding of the LLRs to reduce decoding cycles as compared to performing the CRC computation, the RNTI unmasking, and the CRC check after the decoding.

Plain English translation pending...
Claim 20

Original Legal Text

20. The method of claim 13, wherein the decoding of the LLRs and corresponding hard decision bits is performed serially or progressively using one of turbo decoding, low-density parity-check decoding, or polar decoding.

Plain English translation pending...
Claim 22

Original Legal Text

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the CRC is an α-bit CRC, and the number of bits associated with the RNTI is β bits, where α is equal to β.

Plain English Translation

This invention relates to wireless communication systems, specifically to methods for generating and processing cyclic redundancy check (CRC) codes in conjunction with radio network temporary identifiers (RNTIs). The problem addressed is the need for efficient error detection in control signaling, where CRC codes are used to verify the integrity of transmitted data. The invention improves upon existing techniques by ensuring that the length of the CRC (α bits) matches the length of the RNTI (β bits), allowing for more efficient encoding and decoding processes. The method involves generating an α-bit CRC for a data payload and appending it to the payload, where the CRC is computed using a polynomial that ensures the resulting code has the same bit length as the RNTI. This alignment simplifies the masking or scrambling process, which is often applied to the CRC using the RNTI to distinguish between different users or control channels. The invention also includes steps for transmitting the CRC-appended payload and receiving and verifying it at the receiver side, where the CRC is checked for errors and the RNTI is used to identify the intended recipient. The method ensures reliable error detection while maintaining compatibility with existing wireless communication protocols.

Claim 24

Original Legal Text

24. The method of claim 23, wherein a most significant number of bits is taken from the initial RNTI and a number of zeros is padded to the most significant number of bits to produce the RNTI.

Plain English translation pending...
Claim 25

Original Legal Text

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the most significant number of bits taken from the initial RNTI is μ bits, and the number of zeros padded to a resulting μ-bit value is β1 zeros to produce the RNTI including α bits, where μ+β1=α.

Plain English Translation

This invention relates to wireless communication systems, specifically to methods for generating and processing radio network temporary identifiers (RNTIs) used in scheduling and resource allocation. The problem addressed is the need for efficient and flexible RNTI generation to support dynamic resource allocation while minimizing signaling overhead and computational complexity. The method involves modifying an initial RNTI by extracting a subset of its most significant bits, referred to as μ bits, and padding the resulting μ-bit value with β1 zeros to produce a final RNTI of length α bits. The relationship between these parameters is defined by the equation μ + β1 = α, ensuring the final RNTI maintains a consistent bit length while allowing flexibility in the number of bits extracted from the initial RNTI. This approach enables efficient resource allocation by dynamically adjusting the RNTI based on system requirements, such as the number of available resources or the specific needs of user equipment (UE). The padding with zeros ensures compatibility with existing protocols and reduces the computational overhead associated with RNTI processing. The method is particularly useful in scenarios where the initial RNTI may vary in length or content, and a standardized format is required for scheduling and resource management.

Claim 26

Original Legal Text

26. The method of claim 21, wherein the RNTI is associated with the number of bits associated with the CRC for a purpose of RNTI masking of the CRC for a downlink control channel processing, and an initial RNTI is associated with a number of bits that is less than the number of bits associated with the CRC for non-CRC masking purposes.

Plain English translation pending...
Claim 27

Original Legal Text

27. The method of claim 21, wherein the encoding of the DCI is a polar encoding.

Plain English Translation

The invention relates to wireless communication systems, specifically to methods for encoding downlink control information (DCI) in a manner that improves reliability and efficiency. The problem addressed is the need for robust and efficient encoding schemes to transmit DCI in wireless networks, particularly under challenging channel conditions. The method involves encoding DCI using polar encoding, a technique known for its strong error-correcting capabilities. Polar encoding is particularly effective in wireless communication because it can achieve capacity-approaching performance with low computational complexity. By applying polar encoding to DCI, the method ensures that control information is transmitted with high reliability, reducing the likelihood of errors in critical signaling. The DCI may include various types of control information, such as scheduling assignments, power control commands, or other signaling necessary for proper operation of the wireless network. The polar encoding process involves constructing a polar code, which is a linear block code derived from a generator matrix. The DCI bits are then mapped to the codeword based on the polar code's structure, ensuring that the most reliable bit channels are used for the most critical information. This approach enhances the robustness of DCI transmission, making it suitable for scenarios where channel conditions are unpredictable or degraded. The use of polar encoding also allows for flexible design, as the code rate and block length can be adjusted based on the specific requirements of the communication system. Overall, the method provides an efficient and reliable way to encode DCI in wireless networks, improving the overall performance of the communication system.

Claim 29

Original Legal Text

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the CRC is an α-bit CRC, the number of bits associated with the RNTI is β1 bits, and the least significant number of bits associated with the CRC is β1 least significant bits of the α-bit CRC.

Plain English translation pending...
Claim 30

Original Legal Text

30. The method of claim 28, wherein the encoding of the DCI is a polar encoding.

Plain English Translation

This invention relates to wireless communication systems, specifically to methods for encoding downlink control information (DCI) in a manner that improves reliability and efficiency. The problem addressed is the need for robust and efficient encoding schemes to transmit DCI in wireless networks, particularly under challenging channel conditions. The method involves encoding DCI using polar encoding, a technique known for its strong error-correcting capabilities. Polar encoding is particularly effective in wireless communications where signal integrity is critical. The DCI, which typically includes scheduling assignments, power control commands, and other control signaling, is encoded using polar codes to enhance transmission reliability. This encoding method leverages the properties of polar codes, such as their capacity-achieving performance and low decoding complexity, to ensure accurate delivery of control information to user devices. The method may also include additional steps such as interleaving, rate matching, or modulation of the encoded DCI to further optimize transmission. The use of polar encoding for DCI ensures that control information is transmitted with minimal errors, even in noisy or interference-prone environments. This approach is particularly beneficial in 5G and beyond-5G networks, where high reliability and low latency are essential for efficient communication. The invention aims to improve the overall performance of wireless systems by enhancing the robustness of control signaling.

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Patent Metadata

Filing Date

May 4, 2021

Publication Date

November 8, 2022

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